Break the Code
by Emperor Lulu
Summary: When Lelouch Vi Britannia died, the collective unconscious owed him a debt. Now it seems it can be repaid. For one who never had time for games, it was ironic Lelouch would find himself trapped in one. But unlike the other ten thousand players of sword art online, he was different. The glitch in the code.
1. God of Irony

**Break the Code**

 **I should say, I do not know the SAO world as much as I'd like to. In fact, my knowledge isn't very extensive at all. As a result, updates could take longer because of it. That is, if I ever do... Regardless, I would appreciate assistance and pointers if I make an error. I'm quite sure some of you know the world better then I do.**

 **Anyway, lets try this one out, see how you all like it huh?**

 **Chapter one: God of Irony**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Imagine death as if you were sleeping. You may come to be aware of you situation and surroundings, you may hold to that conscious thought, and you may lose it again. For a period of time you may be completely unaware of existence and lost to reality, or whatever your subconscious dictates it as. And at other times you may be fully aware that you are in fact, dead.

This goes on for what seems an eternity, or just a few minutes, you wouldn't really know. in death, time, and space are irrelevant. To someone who is dead, it does not matter how long it has been since you died, since after all, at times you do not even know you are dead. This complete conscious is what dictates the thoughts and actions of God. Or rather, the collective unconscious. Because whenever a mind was unconscious, it's thoughts and knowledge were added to his, this his name being as it is.

However, there was not a single mind that had the solution to his problem.

The Collective Unconscious had a problem. That problem was Lelouch Vi Britannia. The boy who saved his existence, and by extension, that of the world. Under normal circumstances, well, not exactly normal given this was the first time this had ever happened, the collective unconscious would find some way to alter the course of events to his benefit. And seeing as how that was not necessary-Lelouch did it himself-he wasn't exactly sure what to do. But to make it worse, of his own choice, he did not live long. And the circumstances of the late emperor's death did not allow the choice of a 'miraculous recovery'. In fact, such a blessing would be only a curse. No matter how you look at it.

And as the collective unconscious went about doing whatever it is gods do, that problem remained a persistent nuisance in the back of his mind, and all those linked to it. It wasn't for a few years that the solution finally revealed itself. With a new human invention that proved it might just be the solution he was looking for. Regardless he was hesitant seeing how it wouldn't, exactly fit. However, a specific area of that solution arose. And after some peering into the soul of its creator, he than found that the absolute perfect solution.

From this, the demon emperor Lelouch Vi Britannia would get the opportunity he so deserved.

God smiled. How perfectly ironic it was.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lelouch woke up.

It was unlike anything he had experienced up until this point. More often than not, he was aware of his physical condition, or lack of one. And at times when his mind began to slip, regaining it was similar to the feeling of waking, as death is comparable to sleep. However, this was nothing like it. He really, genuinely woke up.

It took a few moments to realize what was happening. It left him confused and dazed as he looked around him at the bright blue sky. He saw the pillars surrounding him on the platform he appeared to be standing on. He then decided he was in the world of C.

"Lelouch." He heard someone call out to him. He jumped at the sound of the voice, turning to see a mirror image of himself approach him.

"I have been waiting quite some time to see you." The copy told him. "I am what you call God. Or if you prefer, the collective unconscious."

Lelouch frowned. "What am I doing here? Aren't I dead?" He asked.

The collective unconscious nodded. "Yes, you are. I am merely communicating with your conscious mind through the sword of Akasha. That is after all, what the Ragnarok connection was originally meant for."

God turned away and began walking, beckoning Lelouch to follow. "You see, up until recently I wasn't really sure what to do with you Lelouch Vi Britannia. I will admit, I owe you my life. So I feel there is something that must be done about it. I've mulled over it awhile but only in the last few months has my answer finally arisen."

Lelouch frowned. "Few months?"

"Yes." The collective unconscious nodded. "The year is now 2022 ATB. The world has enjoyed four years of undisturbed peace thanks to the demon emperor's sacrifice. And it hopes to enjoy many more. However, that is not my concern." He sighed. "Humans live in a cyclical pattern. Over time, they will slip into old habits. Give it a hundred years and you'll see. But at the same time, what you have achieved goes beyond what any leader or man has ever accomplished. So, here is my reward to you Lelouch Vi Britannia: I will give you a second life. It will not be the one you once had, rest assured, your identity will remain hidden. The circumstance of your previous life left with me without the option of allowing Lelouch Vi Britannia to continue living. But at the same time,"

God raised a finger at the confused Lelouch. "You will have a chance at life beyond anything you could imagine. I will allow you the opportunity to be the kind of person you were always meant to be. In time, you will come to understand what I mean. And whether or not you choose to accept that, the choice is yours. I will not dictate not enforce what you choose to do. Just know this: the world you will enter is not like the world you remember, both physically and what you can not see. Things are not as they will seem at first, but it will not take long for that deception to be revealed."

God began to walk away, leaving Lelouch behind to stutter at the cryptic message he was given. "What do you mean? Where are you taking me?!" He asked the figure who slowly became more distant.

"The best of luck to you Lelouch. I do sincerely hope you become the kind of person that would make your sister proud. Believe me, you will have every opportunity to be the hero."

And that was the last he heard, before a sudden light began to envelop him. Was it true? Was he going to be given a second chance?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

When the light finally faded, his first thought was absolutely nothing happened. The sky and atmosphere hadn't changed in the slightest. Until he began to look around. What he saw left him baffled.

What he could only describe as giant platforms seemed to spiral up from below, supporting towns and miniature plots of land all around him. He could only assume he was standing on one as well. Upon further examination, a giant, very giant, pillar could be seen in the far distance. It reached up to what looked like a massive roof like canopy. But he couldn't say he was in a gigantic room, he could defiantly see the sky beyond the roof. All together, it made absolutely no sense. There was not a place on earth like it. Nor did he believe it could be constructed in just four years.

He was so distracted by his surroundings he failed to notice just what he was wearing. After looking down, he saw a black outfit covered in a leather...armor? He even shortly discovered he was carrying a sword to boot.

It was all very strange and surreal. He couldn't figure out the strange world around him. It was almost like a-

"Video game." He whispered.

Could it be?

He began to move around. Running forward until he came over a hill. He saw a few other people, all wearing similar clothing to his. A few of them were fighting boar like creatures. After a moment, he saw one explode. Not a regular explosion, but a pixilated one almost. Shortly after, a message appeared in its place, hovering in the air.

"I'm in a video game." He realized.

What in earth could posses God to put him in a game? He never found time to play games during the last year of his life. True, he played one here and there before he became Zero, but he wasn't a real fan of them. There was no real reason to why. He thought back to what the collective unconscious said and sighed. Pergolas he just just go along with it and see. Maybe there was a reason other than a laugh at irony.

He mimicked the motion he saw others do and opened his menu. "Okay, what can I learn from this?"

He first checked his character status: level one, zero experience. So he was just starting out it seemed. No surprise. No name. That was odd. Would others be able to see that? Maybe god just wanted him to name himself. He couldn't exactly go around calling himself Lelouch. Even of his physical Appearance was slightly altered, such a connection might bring people to notice others. Speaking of it, his picture identified him as a slim young man with Snow White hair and golden eyes. His facial structure was more or less the same, but those differences seemed to deter that resemblance.

He continued to browse through his stats, noting all the base skills he was familiar with from others games. He came to notice however, the complete lack of magic. He was no expert, but he was fairly certain magic was a staple feature of an RPG. He supposed it didn't matter. A game was all the same to him. But honestly, what was he supposed to do here? He had come to the conclusion that this game must have some form of VR technology, given the menu and messages he saw. That and players motions were fluid rather than that of a game character. That meant he technically was actually living in this game. Was he really supposed to just live inside a game? And what was that about becoming a hero? Was that some kind of joke, to be a hero in a video game? What did that matter?

He took a deep breath. He knew very little about this game. It would be important to find out everything he could. He began to walk toward two people who were talking nearby. He approached the one with longer black hair first, he had the impression he knew more than the red head with the head band by his demeanor.

"Hey, sorry, but you could you point me in the direction of town? I kinda got lost." He said, a slight smile on his face.

The black haired one chuckled. "Your in west fields, so anywhere east will work. You can get a map for free back at town you know."

Lelouch scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I was just a little too excited, I kinda forgot." He assumed he was very close if not at the very beginning of the game. He could assume a noob move was not a questionable thing to do.

The red head laughed. "Hey, it's the opening day of Sword Art Online! I bet most of us ran right off! Lucky this guy here knows what he's doing!"

Lelouch nodded. Sword Art Online huh? Explains the lack of magic right in the name. And that all but confirms its a game. And the opening day? God wasted no time throwing him in here.

"Yeah, I guess your right. Thanks for the help." He replied.

"No problem man." The other said. "Don't forget a map when you get back!" He shouted to Lelouch as he ran off.

"The least he could have done was put me somewhere useful like in the actual town." Lelouch muttered to himself.

After a moment of running he came across one of the boars he saw earlier. It seemed content in blocking his path. Lelouch shrugged. Now was as good a time as ever to figure out the game. He drew his sword from his back and took a stance against against the blue pig. It seemed to take note of his hostile action and snorted and kicked the ground in preparation to charge.

Lelouch breathed in, he was not fighter, he had to take things logically if he was to win. Game or not, a level head always wins. He waited for the boar to charge him, and at the last second sidestepped away, leaving his sword out to make a slash through its side. The pig stumbled a few steps behind him, before collapsing into a flurry of bright polygons. A message popped up informing him of his rewards. He stood up. That wasn't half bad. Perhaps more practice could lead to more effective methods of dispatching his enemies. He decided he could spend some time training before heading to the starting town. If he was to actually live here, he might as well learn how to.

After taking out several more of the pigs, and successfully achieving level two, he called it a day and began to make his way back. He marveled at the setting sun as he realized just how real this world was. Maybe living here wouldn't be so bad.

He looked up as someone approached where he was resting.

"Wow. Not bad." The girl congratulated him. "Most people don't fight like that. The only strategy they might come up with is grouping up and hitting it till it dies."

Lelouch snorted. As a military strategist, he couldn't agree more.

The girl sat down next to him, and he took note of her appearance. She had shoulder length black hair, and blue eyes that reminded him of Kallen a bit. "In all honesty, I prefer an RTS game over this, but it's opening day after all." He said, baiting the knowledge he had as a way to obtain more.

"Still," she began. "One of ten thousand to play the game. Pretty lucky."

 _That's all I got? Eh, whatever._

"I'm Charlotte by the way." The girl introduced herself.

"I'm Le-" Lelouch began out of habit. "-ra." He finished. Lera? What the hell kind of name is that? Well, it's an RPG, so...

"Nice to meet you Lera." Charlotte said.

Well at least she doesn't find it weird. He sighed to himself. That was very nicely done.

"You too." He replied.

After a second of silence, the newly dubbed Lera rose. "I was planning on heading back to town, care to come?" He asked. Perhaps he could get a little more information about the game.

She nodded. "Sure."

The two of them got up and began to head back to town. They talked and as Lera tried to procure information, his still present charm got between him and an informative conversation. Rather personal questions forced him to create a new history for himself. He stuck relatively close to the story of Lelouch Lamperpouche. He even mentioned he went to Ashford. He could get away with the appearance of a high school student.

Eventually, the two finally reached the starter town, and immediately, something felt off.

"Charlotte," he began. "You did at there are ten thousand players right?" He asked.

"Yeah." She replied, a slim understanding as to why he would ask that.

"There are easily that many people here, if not very close." If that were true, every player was being condensed into one area. He even saw a few lights he assumed were teleportations.

Soon however, the answer to why revealed itself. A deep red hexagon blinked directly in the sky, drawing the attention of all those present. It quickly spread across the entire sky, filling the whole space. A red blood-like liquid began to seep from the cracks, pooling together and slowly taking shape. Lelouch stared as a robed faceless man formed above them.

"Greetings." The man began. "And welcome, to my world. Sword Art Online."

 _His world?_ Lelouch thought.

"I am Kiyaba Akihiko. And at the present, the only one in control of this world. As you may have noticed, there is something missing from your menus. That is the logout button. This is not a defect in the game. I repeat, this is not a defect. But rather, a feature of the game."

Lelouch frowned. In a VR game, that meant...

"And of someone were to remove the nervegear from your head, a microwave will be emitted from within the helmet, destroying the brain. Unfortunately, from this, two hundred and thirteen avatars have been removed from SAO, as well as the real world. However, this has appeared all over the news, so you don't have to worry about that happening anymore."

Lelouch began to twitch, his brow slowly dropping into a terrifying glare. What the hell was this supposed to achieve? True or not, this man had effectively trapped ten thousand people inside a game, but for what end?

"I'm sure some of you are wondering, why I creator of Sword Art Online, and nervegear, would do such a thing? My goal had already been achieved. And that is to creat a world in which I can direct the fate of its future." Kayaba stated.

 _That's it?! That's why you dare disrupt **my** peace?!_

"I have left you all a gift in your inventories, you can all take a look at it now."

As Kayaba said this, each player opened their menus, and retrieved the mirror left for them. Lelouch as well, looked at his reflection in the mirror before they were all envelope in a bright light that blinded his vision. When it faded, he looked around to see that everyone around him looked different. He noticed a small message appeared before him: error. No data found. Because of that he assumed, his appearance had not changed. He took notice to Charlotte next to him. She looked considerably younger and had more frayed hair rather than her avatar's smooth hair. However, the color remained the same. He could only assume, that these were the player's real life appearances. He looked up as Kayaba began to continue.

"At present, the only way to escape, is to reach the one hundredth floor of Aincrad, and beat the game. And also, there is no longer any way to revive a player within the game. If you are to die, your avatar will be erased, and your brain destroyed."

The body of Kayaba began to dissolve.

"I wish you the best of luck, players."

'So this is how it is. I see now god. There is one who dares to disrupt what I and millions have died for. I will not stand for it. I will beat you game. You lost the moment you went head to head against me. Kayaba Akihiko, I will save them. No more will anyone die at the hand of one with selfish desires. You are the worst of anyone I have ever seen. And I will beat you. You and your world of swords, will be conquered!

I am Lelouch Vi Britannia! I have conquered the very world itself, and this one will be no different!'

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

 **You know, I realized that ten thousand players isn't really that good a demographic. First of all, one in ten is a beta tester, there had to be several in the first floor raid, and they were all pretty stupid of you ask me. Not only that, but with as many different social jobs available, and as many floors as there are, I don't think ten thousand is enough. But whatever, not that important.**

 **Tell me what you think!**


	2. Trailblazers

**Break The Code**

 **For the sake of my sanity, Lelouch will consistently be referred to as Lera unless special circumstances dictates otherwise. Besides, you wouldn't call kirito kazuto in his pov.**

 **Also, I came to the realization that leveling up in SAO would be significantly more difficult then a normal game, even from one to two. That being a (typical) level cap at one hundred, and one hundred floors in the game, you'd only level up once in a single floor. So, disregard Lelouch leveling up after fighting a semi decent amount of enemies for a regular RPG and lets pretend that hasn't happened yet. I'll actually remove that later.**

 **Chapter 2: Trailblazers**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Charlotte stood amidst all the other players in the newly dubbed game of death. She quickly took a look around in an attempt to locate Lera only to find exactly what she was looking for. which was strangely enough, not what she was supposed to find.

The snowy haired teen was firmly staring up into the sky with his golden eyes where the phantom of Kayaba once was. Charlotte frowned. She was pretty certain Kayaba had just set all the player's physical appearance to that of their actual selves...but Lera hadn't changed. She shoved the thought aside however, there were bigger problems to deal with.

As if on cue, a girl's scream caused a chain reaction across the entire plazza. Within seconds, chaos encompassed her surroundings. In that short time, she had determined what a few other beta testers had likewise decided.

Charlotte turned back to her friend and tapped him on the shoulder. Lera blinked as of snapping out of a trance. He looked at her and Charlotte saw only for a second, the eyes of something far more dangerous then he made himself out to be. In a flash, the inexplicable gaze was gone before she knew it. "Lera," She spoke just loudly enough for him to here. "Lets go."

He nodded, then followed Charlotte as she weaves her way through the crowds and to the ally ways in the town. A quiet place where they wouldn't be overheard.

"I know this is really sudden for you, but I want you to come with me to the next town." She offered him. Lera looked at her with a furrowed brow.

"Yeah, I know it may be difficult but I know where to avoid so we can get there safely. Besides, of we stick around here, everyone will pick the quests and items clean. There isn't enough here to support all these players. And knowing Kayaba, he might delay the town restock, just for the sake of it. We should get some items here, then move on. We'll get our free pick of better stuff up there. At least for a few days until more players show up,"

Lera nodded. "I understand. That seemed to be the most logical idea."

Truthfully, he'd have rather stayed and tried to help as many as he could; perhaps rally everyone together. He was put here for that reason after all. But Lera still knew he had no real grounds to exert authority. As Zero, he was capable of leading because he was skilled as a military commander. In Sword Art Online, he was no better than anyone. As of now, his best option was to get strong enough that he would be suitable leader for these people. Lera had no doubt it was why he was here. He now knew his mission, why he was to be a hero. He couldn't say he could fulfill the role as God envisioned it, but he would damn well try to save their lives.

"Try going to the shops on the outskirts of town. They will be empty the longest, just get stuff we need like health potions and all that." Charlotte told him.

"Right" he also realized he would need to buy a map. That might be important.

As Lera turned to run off Charlotte shouted out to him. "Meet me by the north gate when you're done. Don't take too long."

She put on a smile as Lera turned away. She watched him until he was out of sight, them dropped her smile. In truth, she had plenty of resources, probably for both of them. There was just something else she needed to resolve; without Lera.

"Charlotte!" She sighed as she heard the familiar voice, in that fake sing song tone he used. She knew they would be here. It was best to end this now, rather than later.

"Jace." She acknowledged, still turned away from the approaching group. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question." Have replied, walking around her to face her. The rest of his group surrounded her, preventing her escape.

"I thought we were supposed to meet in the sixth market today, but I guess you forgot." Jace said, his innocent looking face hiding what he already knew.

"I didn't forget. I didn't want to come." Charlotte told him.

"Didn't want to? But why not? After all, we are your friends right?" He glanced down the alley, in the same direction Lera went. "Or did you find a new friend?"

"I don't want to go with you Jace. Things are different now, you should know that."

"Oh, are they?" He through his arms out. "Last I checked, this is Sword Art Online. The same game you and I played."

"You can't just go around doing what we did anymore! People who die, stay dead Jace. Didn't you hear that?!"

"Who cares? It's a game of survival, who cares if a couple of geeks die to insure our survival." Jace said, leaning in to her ear. "It isn't any different after all."

"I said no!" Charlotte yelled, backing away from the blonde man.

"Oh come on Charlotte. We need a green player with a pretty face like yours to lure them in."

"I won't say it again. I'm not-"

"She said no."

The two of them, along with the rest of Jace's gang, turned to see the young man who spoke. "Didn't you hear her?"

"Lera." Charlotte said, surprised."

"Who might you be?" Jace asked, taking a step away from Charlotte approach the thin teen.

"You didn't hear her? My name is Lera, like she said." Lera told Jace as he stopped just in front of the taller man. "I'm her friend."

"Is that so?" Jace chuckled. "Charlotte here doesn't have friends kid."

"I disagree." Lera replied. "She is with me. So why don't you just leave?"

Jace smirked. "Pretty ballsy kid aren't you? You don't know who you're dealing with here. So just get lost."

Inwardly, Lera scowled, but kept his cold face. _I can't just use Geass. I've almost taken the power for granted. Damn, looks like I need a different approach. Not that it will be difficult._

"You don't need to keep hounding her. I'm certain there are plenty of other players you could use for whatever it is you're doing." Lera suggested.

"And what are you two going to do then?" Jace asked. "Off to the next town? Through the north gate right: you know, it would be a shame if something were to happen to you."

"Are you trying to threaten me?" Lera asked. "Honestly, be more assertive than that. You won't get what you want like that."

 _Unless of course you're me. But here we only need one manipulative bastard._

"Besides, would you really waste your green status so early in the game? It's not like I have anything on me worth taking."

Jace snorted, narrowing his eyes. "Nah, but killing you might just be a reward all in its own."

A faint smile cracked on lera's lips. "I see. So how about this than? You survive this game for however long it takes until we meet again. By then I'm certain killing me might be worth your time. Think of it this way: it's something to look forward to."

Jace stared down the snowy haired teenager for a few moments, trying to intimidate him one last time. But Lera wasn't backing down. "Fine." Jace accepted. "Don't you go dying on me you hear? I'm gonna kill you, not some monster."

The man waved off and he and his men backed away. "C'mon guys, if they want to go die; who am I to stop them?"

As Jace walked past Lera, he stopped a moment right by his ear. "Be careful kid, she ain't who you think she is."

His icy eyes unmoving, Lera responded, "neither am I."

An inexplicable wave of fear hit the blonde at the words. "Right."

Have hurriedly moved past with his gang as they continued on out of sight.

"Lera?" Charlotte asked, approaching him.

"What are you doing? I told you to go get some stuff."

"I saw them following us a while." Lera replied, gesturing to where Jace had gone. "I figured they would be a problem, so I never went far."

"Oh," she frowned. "But wait, how did you know about green players and stuff? I thought you were new."

"I listened to your whole conversation. I guessed what that meant, and what it was they wanted."

Charlotte looked down. "Yeah, look I-"

"Save it. I really don't care. Believe me, anything you did, I've done worse. What matters is you chose not to continue. Lets just stick with that and call it good."

"Right. Um...thanks I guess." Charlotte replied, looking back up at him.

"So what should I go get? I didn't actually go out to the shop so..."

Charlotte chuckled, shaking her head. "For worry about it. I think I have enough supplies for the two of us."

"Oh. But, I do need to go get a map." Lera mentioned.

"You didn't already?" Charlotte asked.

"Hey, I am a noob remember?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Later that day, the sun had begun to set for the first time over Aincrad. It certainly wouldn't be the last, but for now, it really sunk in to all the players that they were indeed trapped in the game.

As for Lera, he and Charlotte were making good time across the northern fields that would ultimately lead to the second town of the game. The two of them easily took care of any small monsters that showed up, and Charlotte managed to steer them clear of any real threats along the way. As it seemed, Lera might have just started off on the right foot. However, Kayaba, whether intentional or not, was not going to make it so easy for him.

"If I remember right, the next town is just over this hill." Charlotte said.

Lera nodded. "Sounds good. I think we can make it before night."

"We'd better. Nocturnal monsters around here are mean. Can't tell you how many times I died." Charlotte mentioned.

"Yeah, well I can tell you how many times you will die if we stay out here then." Lera replied.

She shook her head. "I don't think I want to find out."

"Neither do I."

They went on a few more moments, nearing the crest of the hill that would be the end of their journey. "Hey Lera?" Charlotte started will an inquisitive tone, he turned to her. "How come your avatar didn't change? Everyone else changed to what they actually look like, but you didn't."

"I'm not exactly sure." He immediately responded with the answer he had already rehearsed. "I got the message 'error. No data found.' So I suppose it just didn't change anything."

Charlotte frowned. "So the game doesn't have any data on your real appearance? Huh, I guessed it got it from when we calibrated the system, but I don't know why your's didn't work."

Of course Lera knew full knew why it didn't work. Still, as long as there was a plausible reason outside of the truth-that he had no data to begin with...for specific reasons-so long as people believed it was a technical error, he would be fine.

"Just a glitch in the code I suppose." Lera mused.

"What do you look like then? If you don't mind me asking." Charlotte asked.

Lera cocked his head. "Well, I suppose I have black hair, as long as I do now. I guess I don't look too different than I do now."

"I see. Well maybe when we do get out of here we can meet so I can see myself." Charlotte mentioned.

"Y-yeah."

 _I...I can't make friends here. I can't associate myself with anyone. Because I'm not real._

"I'd love to some time."

Charlotte yawned as she stretched her arms out. "Man I'm tired. I can't wait to get to sleep."

Lera frowned, looking at Charlotte. "Sleep in a game?"

"Yeah." Charlotte began to explain. "In VR games your body still functions and operates normally, it's motor functions are just disabled. When you sleep in the game, the system makes your brain think you're actually sleeping, so your body really will fall asleep."

"That's interesting." Lera commented. "Although I can't see a practical reason for that outside our...current circumstances."

Charlotte laughed a little. "I guess so. But I'm not complaining."

Just then a low growl caused the two to jump. Lera turned to their right to see a creature standing on all fours atop a small ridge hardly thirty feet from them."

"That's a blood claw." Charlotte whispered. "How the hell did it spawn?! It isn't night yet!"

"Can we fight it?" Lera asked, eyeing the beast that stared back at him.

"Not a chance." She replied. "It's at least level 5. Anything more then two levels above you will rip you to pieces. That's just how this game works."

"Can we run?" He went to plan b.

"That won't work either. It's way faster then us."

"Damn it." He cursed. He had to think of a way to beat it. There was no way he'd die this soon.

"Okay, tell me how we can beat it, I'll think of something." He told her.

"Right, well it's outer armor, that shell there? Nothing found below floor four can break it. You need to find a way to get to its stomach. There's no other place you can hit it. And be sure to watch when it-"

Before she could finish, the blood claw barreled down at them going full throttle.

Lera dived to the right, while Charlotte went the other way. He tried to parry the consecutive lunge it made at him with its foreleg, only to nearly break his arm from the sheer force behind its attack.

"To look out for its lunge?" He shouted while dropping down to dodge another swipe.

"Yeah...it's no slow creature. And the follow up!" She warned him just in time for a second attack to nearly take off his head.

 _This is certainly different than fighting those boars. Damn, straight into the fire..._

Thinking quickly, Lera attempted to slice at the blood claw's eyes, but found the surrounding armor made it far to impossible when it moved so quickly. The blood claw seemed to exclusively focus on Lera, practically leaving Charlotte alone as he pushed himself to his physical limit each time the creature tried to take a piece of his stomach.

"Thank God." He panted. "That I'm not limited to real life endurance."

He backed away as the blood claw pushed off against his sword, it's barrage apparently paused. While it seemed the creature was assessing a new plan of attack, Lera himself was furiously devising a strategy of his own to take down the beast. He whipped his head to the left, than the right. He glanced by a small ridge, hardly a few feet drop. Then an idea began to form.

"Charlotte!" He called. The girl in question diverted her attention from furiously hacking the things back-while still being ignored- to Lera.

"Follow it as close as you can! I'm going to try something!"

She nodded in reply and Lera took a deep breath. He slammed his hilt as hard as his artificial body could manage into the blood claw's face. It bellowed a very befitting howl of anger as Lera started to stumble through the grass away from it.

He broke into a full sprint, with the blood claw close in tow. He could practically feel its hot breath on his neck. It terrified him to think a game like this could so effectively instill fear as he ran for his life; once again thanking god as he didn't feel his lungs tearing trough his chest just yet, but that blood claw just might if he didn't go any faster.

He kicked it into high gear as the ridge got closer, and the monster behind him. With only a few inches between them, Lera finally reached the ridge. However, instead of leaping over it like the blood claw expected him to, he simply dropped. He spun around so his back slammed into the ground as the monster sailed over him. He kicked upward with everything he could muster, his feet planting squarely on its stomach. The force of his kick threw the blood claw into a somersault as it careened forward, landing on its back several feet behind Lera.

Just moments later, Charlotte leaped over the ledge, flying over Lera and landing on the exposed beast. She plunged her sword into its chest, than took it out, slashing across its neck. The critical hit proved too much for the monster, and it shattered into tiny shards around her as she fell over panting.

The two sat motionless, Lera on the ground, and Charlotte just beside him. She let out a heavy breath. "I swear to god if there's a second one."

Lera started chuckling, looking up into the darkened sky. He glanced at his updated status at the defeat of the blood claw. "Oh. I leveled up."

Charlotte looked up at him. "Wait seriously?!"

"Yeah...isn't that what you do in this game?" He frowned.

"Sure, but it's hardly been a single day. Leveling up takes weeks!" Charlotte exclaimed.

Lera raised an eyebrow. "That seems absurd. Personal growth is the main draw of RPGs. Without a constant stream of achievements, wouldn't that get boring?"

Charlotte frowned. "That doesn't even make any sense."

"I guess not. Regardless, I'm assuming the XP gain between level one, and five, is astronomical. Simply because the distance between floor one and five, are as such. One hundred floors, and one hundred levels. You can generally average the strength of an area based on its number in the game correct? However, each area of Aincrad is virtually an entire world of its own, it's simply that big. And yet that world, is but a single area. A single level. If each area takes weeks to clear, weeks to surpass. Then we have just now achieved a feat that should not have been possible for several months. Thus our personal growth has responded to that."

Charlotte stared at Lera, clearly lost. "You sure you haven't played this before?"

"Of course not." He responded. "I'm only speaking in general terms."

Still, it surprised him he was able to understand that much. Not that it really should be surprising. The only that that was is how easy it was to grasp the concepts behind the game. The parts moving beyond the painted sky everyone else saw. He could see the individual strokes, the colors used, the style of the painting itself. It's just how he was. And it would most definitely prove more than useful to survive.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lera sat atop the tallest building he could find in the town he and Charlotte had finally reached about an hour or so earlier. Since then, she had long since gone to bed in the inn the town had. He wasn't sure to call it a blessing or a curse, but he came to realize he would never need to sleep in this game. As Charlotte explained, sleep was literally required exactly as a real body needed it. And well, he didn't have one. There was nothing telling his brain it needed to sleep. He guessed he could if he really wanted to, but he simply had no genuine reason to.

He sighed as he looked up into the night sky. It was an interesting sight to see. The second floor was just above them, but so high up it was as if it wasn't there. Aincrad really was a magnificentplace. It wouldn't have been so bad to just live here. But at the same time he felt like the goal he had: to save these people from Kayaba Akahiko, was far more important to him.

It really felt like he had a purpose again. Albeit a really strange one at that, but one that actually did matter. He knew he could not save all ten thousand players, he was not that naive. In fact he knew he would have already failed that by now. No, he would save as many as he physically could. That's all that mattered really. Whatever he could, he would do it. God had given him a second chance to bethe hero Lelouch vi Britannia never could be. It wasn't exactly that he failed, but that now he would be remembered; not as a demon, but a hero.

He smiled a little. "How cliche does that sound?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-


	3. Faith Crisis

**Break the Code**

 **Okay, so I did mah researches and I believe I have the answer to leveling.**

 **It's actually quite simple really. The only reason the players leveled up ten times in a single floor was because of the unnaturally long clear time of the first floor. I spent some time graphing out the floor clear dates, as well kirito's level progression, and its pretty interesting. The first few floors (after the first one,) were cleared very quickly. But once that petered out the clear rate steadied at an average rate of a floor a week for the rest of the game. Not only that, but the player's levels actually do in fact match the floor rates pretty well too. But simply because of the first floor, and the quick clear times of the first twenty floors, the player level was always higher then the floor they were on. Kirito's level progresses linearly at a higher rate until around forty when it slows down to match a linear rate parallel to the floor clearings.**

 **Still, all the times skips make some areas of my chart mere guess work, but it still comes down to about that much. If you guys have more insight though please let me know.**

 **Chapter 3: Faith Crisis**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A heavy sigh escaped Lera as he flopped down against the cold stone walls of the corridor. His endurance had began to wain as he and Charlotte entered the tenth hour of their search through the dungeons. It had been three weeks. Three weeks since the game began. Two of those were spent searching fruitlessly for the first boss room. Over one hundred players were contributing to the thorough combing of the seemingly endless twists and turns of the dungeon.

It stayed true to a classic dungeon motif. The stone walls and floors adorned by low light torches. Wooden doors opened into spacious rooms filled with either monsters or equally life threatening traps. How many gauntlets he pushed his way through, his was beginning to lose track. Still, he was confident in his skills since the game had began. He was diligently working his way up, and at level eight he could fend off most of the monsters found in the dungeons fairly easily. But, he doubted very many players had worked as high as he did. After all hardly one percent of them even set foot in the dungeon. It wouldn't surprise him to see a great number of them never even leave the town of beginnings. 1700 deaths so far. An astronomical number, and it left him bitter every time it went up. It didn't exactly inspire moral to those afraid to move on. Nor the fact that one month left them sill grasping to make even the smallest dent in Aincrad. At this rate the game would be cleared in ten years. Not that he had anywhere to go, but he didn't feel like spending that long in a game. Not only that but he wasn't even sure they could last that long.

Something had to be done. They needed to organize themselves if they were to clear this game. Lera felt that he should do it himself, yet he was still missing the opportunity to gain their trust. As he stood now, he doubted anyone would be willing to put their life in his hands.

With the last of his supplies drained, he lifted himself off the floor and dusted off his pants. "We should probably go now." He told his companion.

Beside him, Charlotte groaned, still against the wall. "Do we have to go now?" She whined, banging her head against the wall.

"Yes." He insisted. "I'd rather not stick around for the nocturnal dungeon monsters to start spawning."

With that incentive, she quickly scrambled up, nearly losing her balance. "It's not that late is it?!"

"We're cutting it a bit close." He informed her.

"I'm out!" She rushed off in some random direction, leaving Lera to tell her she was going the wrong way. The dungeon enemies he was referring to were soon called the 'guardians.' Level 20 monsters that were very good at finding players. It only further added to the idea that Kayaba was genuinely trying to kill them. It didn't take long for the players to find out that going into the dungeon at night was a less then good idea. And it effectively made it impossible to cover any ground once that time rolled around.

It took the two of them about a half an hour to make it out of the dungeon, using the best route possible. All of the players trying to make it through the dungeon were all contributing to a single map for everyone to use. It wasn't exactly a perfect project, but decent progress was made each day. But it only further added to the dreaded feeling they were on the tip of the iceberg. Both for the dungeon itself, and Aincrad in its entirety

As the two of them finally made it out of the dark hallways, they were met with the orange glow of a setting sun, a testament to how close a call that was.

"Close call huh?" Lera cocked his head at the unfamiliar voice. He turned his head to see another player approaching him and Charlotte.

"Most guys clear out way before they show up." The newcomer said, coming to walk beside Lera.

"Yeah? Well the longer I'm. In there the sooner we can find that boss room."

"Well said." The man grinned.

Lera took a quick glance of him, noticing immediately the heavier armor he wore that instantly told him he was talking to a beta tester. Not to mention the demeanor of someone more experienced simply oozed from him right off the bat.

"I'm Diavel by the way." He said, extending a hand as they continued walking from the dingeon's entrance.

He took it, looking squarely at him. "I'm Lera."

"Pleasure to meet you Lera." Diavel said, releasing his hand.

"Likewise."

"And who's this?" He asked, looking at Charlotte."

"My name's Charlotte. I'm his parter, or something like that."

Diavel nodded. "We need more people grouping up when they go in. Not a whole lot of people know each other. It makes me nervous to see others going in there alone. Especially if I never see them come back out."

Lera hummed in agreement. It seems he cares about the other players as well. He thought.

"Still though, I hope we're close to finishing this ridiculous dungeon. Fewer and fewer people are even bothering to try anymore. We hardly came far at all to quit now."

"We should try to better organize the mapping. Maybe have groups take routes or something." Lera offered.

"Yeah." Diavel agreed. "But it would be hard to get everyone together."

"We could stand by the entrance." Charlotte said. "Tell everyone going in throughout the day to take a specific path."

"We could. Anyone still trying at this point would be willing to try a more thorough approach." Diavel thought it over.

As the group approached the outskirts of the dungeon town, Diavel stopped a moment to open his menu. "Friend me Lera, I'd like your help putting together something, if you're willing to."

"Of course." Lera replied, doing the same thing.

 _The more allies I can gather together the better. And i'm certain Diavel will be a valuable asset._

"Tomorrow morning lets try to put together some routes for the players." Diavel stated.

"Sure, call me as early as you need, I'll be up."

With a wave, the blue-haired beta tester parted ways from the two.

Charlotte yawned, making as big a show of it as possible. "I'm tired. I think I'll be heading off now."

Lera nodded, "I've got some stuff to take care of, so I'll see you tomorrow."

"Right." Charlotte replied drowsily. "Bye."

As Charlotte left, leaving Lera alone in the small town center, He began to head off to get some more supplies.

 _Strange_. He thought as he walked through the mostly quiet streets. Diavel assumed that I was the leader, when Charlotte is the beta tester between us.

He smiled. _Perhaps I may just be getting a hang of this game after all._

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Long after the sun had set, Lera found himself overlooking a wide valley tucked near the corner of the first floor's map. The several rivers that ran through the valley emptying out over the side of Aincrad. He would have to come back here during the day too, since only night time creatures would show up here now. This area was the last to be mapped out on the first floor, and to tonight, Lera would finish it.

After all, he had an extra eight hours every day. Since he had no real body, there was nothing telling his avatar he needed to sleep. He found himself spending the nights documenting the nocturnal monster spawns and field drops. And among the newly budding 'curators' as they were being called, he had contributed to sixty percent of the nocturnal documentations on the first floor. He hoped to kind someone to take charge of them, and make the curators a genuine group, rather than a couple players who wrote down item spawn rates in their free time.

He knew for a fact that the curators would be beneficial to the game in the long run. Players could use the information he got to safely clear the floors, and level without worry of high level interference. Not to mention they could complete quests much easier.

That was another thing he put time into, his attempt to clear every quest he could find. Every night, he would accept as many quests as he could, then as he documented items and enemies, quests would clear as he went. And as a nice bonus, he was slowly accumulating a decent array of uncommon, and rarer items from the quests.

He stood atop a large rock planted in the center of the valley, writing down the information he saw on the enemies around him. Of course, it was physically possible that a number may be wrong, since a monster may just spawn a level higher then he thought they could. Very rare things may escape him as well, but that was how it went. As long as the most common things were written down, it would be enough.

"Appears from level four through...six-no, seven." He said to himself, looking through a pack of wolf like creatures a ways past him. It was slow going, but much more calming. The world of Aincrad, albeit fake, was still quite beautiful. If there was ever a game to spend his afterlife in, it was a good fit. He shuddered to think of the other kinds of games he knew of.

With the last of his notebook filled up, he decided to call it good. He slapped it closed and hopped off the rock, beginning his journey back to the town. It was interesting to think he was the only one around for a ways off. There were just over eight thousand people here, and no one for miles.

 _I wonder what Nunnally is doing right now._

The thought stopped him dead. He couldn't stop the single tear that fell onto the grass below his feet. She was still there. She was probably the empress, yet he wouldn't ever know. He would never know how she was, what she was doing. How the world was doing. The world e was in felt so different, it honestly took him that long to realize it was still the same one he left behind.

Nunnally

Suzaku

Kallen

They're all still living on without him.

Even if he were to beat this game, and all the people here were freed to return to the real world; he would stay.

He did belong there anymore.

Even after all of this, even if the players here did regard Lera as a hero, it meant nothing for him. Nothing for Lelouch. Because he was dead, long gone. And the people who he left behind will never know what he did, where he is now. Not even that he was another player of the VR game sword art online.

This is not a second chance; this is hell.

A second chance to be a hero like he could have been, only to realize in the end, it doesn't mean a damn thing.

And that was his sentence. To save all these people, for nothing.

He curled his hands into fists, he knees sinking into the soft ground. Clenched teeth held back tears, and through ragged breaths he spoke. "Why?" He looked up at that painted night sky, at all the stars he would never truly see again.

"Why am I even here?"

"Because it is your mission."

Lera jumped, startled at the unknown voice. He looked in front of him to see a figure of himself, of Lelouch, standing before him.

"Before you is a man who believes he has the power to do with ten thousand people whatever he so pleases. A man whose deranged dream dares to interfere with what you have accomplished."

The ghost of Lelouch strode to stand above him, his gaze cast down at the snowy haired teen knelt below him. "And it is your mission to prove him wrong."

Lera's eyes widened, mouth agape as if to speak.

"So beat him at his own game Lera. Save these people from the man who plays God. You are no longer Lelouch, Zero, or the demon emperor. You are now Lera, and you will make yet another miracle."

The figure turned from him, walking away into the night. A chuckle was heard as Lera watched him fade into darkness.

"Your were once the man of miracles, Lelouch. Act like it."

And with that the ghostly personification vanished into nothing, leaving Lera alone in the boundless hills.

He stared forward for a long time, he mind racing a hundred different directions before they all converged upon one final answer.

He closed his eyes, a faint smile on his lips. Yes. It would turn out that way wouldn't it? Who was he to dwell upon the past? He knew full well what he was doing after all. And now, right here the future of these people depended on him. He had no time for a faith crisis, now was the time to act.

His eyes opened and his face formed into a devilish grin. Now seemed like a good time for a new motto: 'dwell on the past, and you are blind to the future.' No more yearning for what could have been. He did what he did, and that was that. Because whether he could or not, eight thousand and three hundred others could still escape this hell.

It was time for another miracle.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-


	4. A Glimmer of Hope

**Break the Code**

 **Has it been long enough yet?!**

 **Chapter 4: A Glimmer of Hope**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lera stood in the middle of the inn room, heaps of papers scattered around him in a disheveled mess. On his face, a wide triumphant grin. He cast a gaze along the front most papers, overlooking the drawings and the formulas. Yes, this was it. He had done it.  
A silent chuckle escaped his lips. The smile grew even wider. Finally, they could finally move on.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Charlotte let out a big yawn as she stumbled her way into the hallway of the inn. It was quite early, at least by her standards, or rather Lera's. The majority of the other players staying here - mainly the dungeon crawlers - were all still asleep. However, she doubted her snowy haired companion would be in bed now. She could've sworn that he never slept. She never went to bed after him, and never woke up before him. It wouldn't surprise her to find he stayed up almost all night on a regular basis, likely working double time every day. And yet he was still more optimistic than anyone else. Or at least, on the surface. She was pretty sure she could see faint traces of his real attitude just below the optimism. Something she wouldn't call despair however, unlike the faces she saw all around him. No, his cheerful demeanor was hiding rage. Pure hatred she couldn't describe nor fathom. To see it by itself might be frightening enough, but for it to be hidden behind a mask of kindness was truly terrifying. Lera had a past. Something to permanently scar him beyond repair, yet he was still perfectly capable of completely masking it.  
In a game like this, everyone's life is on the line. And everyone's true nature begins to show in the face of danger to their well being. Yet Lera was being the optimistic beacon of hope they all needed. And here she was despairing that nearly a month in still had them at the first damned floor.  
She had just descended down the stairs when she saw a glimpse of Lera speaking with that blue haired guy from the night before. He was talking with an oddly excited tone, which in turn was met with equal joy from Diavel. She cocked her head in curiosity as she approached the two of them. Halfway through the lobby Lera noticed her, and decoded to greet her with a loud shout. "Charlotte! I have some good news for you!"  
Surprised, she came to face Lera and Diavel, who were for some reason fully dressed to go into the dungeon; in sharp contrast to the night gown she wore.  
"What's up?" She asked, still slightly tired.  
"We've found the boss room." Lera told her.  
Charlotte blinked. Did she hear that right? "You what?"  
"Well that's a bit unfair." Diavel spoke up. "It was really all you Lera. If you're right we can cut straight to the end of this floor."  
"Wait, what?!" She exclaimed.  
"I found out where the boss room is." Lera began to explain. "The dungeon is systematically generated, and the formulas can lead us right to the end. If it's right of course, I'd like to get a second opinion."  
"Well if you want me to look at math equations, I doubt I'm going to be much help." Charlotte explained.  
"I don't think that's even going to be necessary Lera." Diavel interjected. "From what you showed me, it leaves little doubt that this theory is correct. I really think you did it."  
"I appreciate that." Lera responded, grinning at him.  
"So then what are we going to do?" Charlotte asked. "We going there now or what?"  
Lera shook his head. "Not yet. We're going to call a meeting of all the players working on clearing this floor. We'll need all the help we can get."  
"I've tried to make friends with everyone that's been through the Dungeon, so I can contact them." Diavel offered. "We can all get together later this afternoon."  
"The sooner the better. For all of us." Lera responded.  
"Sounds good. I'll get to it then."  
Diavel waved as he jogged out of the inn, leaving Lera and Charlotte alone.  
"So I imagine you were up all night figuring that out weren't you?" She asked.  
Lera smiled. "Mostly. It's not that big a deal, late nights are more than a common occurrence for me."  
"Maybe." She said. "But you should at least get some rest before we fight the boss. Or you might just fall asleep fighting the boss." She actually gave a hint of concern, amusing Lera.  
"There's no need to worry." He told her with a smile. "I have an uncanny ability to run with little to no sleep. I always have."  
And that much was true. During his time spent as Zero, he was no stranger to all nighters. Not that it was even a big deal at all anymore. He would fight to the full extent of his abilities; and they could finally put a dent in this seemingly endless game.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"I'd like to thank you all for coming today." Diavel spoke, addressing the small crowd gathered in the amphitheatre. "My name's Diavel, and I've got some pretty good news for you all."  
He extended his hand to point toward Lera, who was standing off to the side. "Thanks to the efforts of our friend here, we have been able to locate the location of the boss room."  
The statement had the effect of a bomb dropping on the audience. Everyone gasped, clearly surprised.  
"Now I have to say," Lera spoke up, stepping next to Diavel. "This may not be one hundred percent accurate, but I believe I've figured out the algorithms behind the systematic generation of the dungeon. And theoretically, we can cut straight to the end of the dungeon."  
There were numerous chatters among the group, some skeptical of Lera's claims.  
"I know you may not be inclined to believe me, and dive headlong into the heart of uncertainty; but I know that I am done sitting by and accepting this fate. I am taking my life into my hands and betting everything I have on this. And if you're with me, then I think it's time we found out what the second floor looks like. We will escape this game!"  
That however, was received by a round of cheers. He had played right at what they felt the most. Morale was low, and they all needed a little pep talk.  
"I'd like for you guys to all form up into parties of six. The floor boss is no laughing matter; and we can better watch each other's backs that way." Diavel explained.  
Lera watched as a few groups formed up, and took particular notice of the two outsiders up in the top row. "Now that you're all grouped up, let's discuss how we are going to take down the boss. First of all-"  
Before Lera could continue, he was interrupted by a man who appeared atop the stairs of the amphitheatre. "My name's Kabaou, and before you go on, I just gotta get something off my chest."  
Kabaou jumped down the stairs, coming to a stop center stage. "You're all familiar to the fact that seventeen hundred people have died so far, right? Well some of you have to apologize to them!"  
Lera frowned, momentarily confused by what the man was spouting.  
Doable however, knew just what it was. "Kabaou, you couldn't be referring to...the beta testers could you?"  
"Yeah. The moment this whole thing started, they abandoned all of us. They took all the best hunting spots, and even took the easy quests. They left us to die, and some of us really did die! So they need to apologize for that. And they should give us all the stuff that they took to pay for it."  
Lera shook his head, annoyed by Kabaou's reasoning. He stepped forward, catching the spokes haired man's attention. "So you believe that the beta testers should give you everything that they worked for because you were less off?" He scoffed. "The world isn't fair. If it was, none of us would be in this mess. The beta testers are not responsible for the deaths of the other players. After all," Lera produced a small book from his inventory. "They already provided you with all the information that they could. They've done more than anything you ever did Kabaou. From my point of view, you are far more responsible than they are. You look pretty well equipped after all." He finished with a glare, and Kabaou looked away.  
"You're life is yours alone. Whether you succeed or fail is up to you. Don't leave it up to anyone else, because no one else is going to do it. That's why you are all here. You're all determined to seize your futures for yourselves."  
Lera looked out among all the players gathered here. The ones who may just become his 'Black Knights.' Common everyday people forced to fight for their lives in a world designed to end them.  
"So let's show everyone that this game of death can be beaten! Let us forge on to a bright future that we can all look forward to! There is a future waiting for us, outside of Sword Art Online!"  
The group erupted into screaming cheers cascading into a loud roar. Lera grinned, he hadn't lost his touch.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lera marched through the dim dungeon corridors, spearheading the group using his map he worked out. He had no doubts about his theory, but he was certainly hoping it was taking him the right way.  
"That was quite the performance back there you know. I think you'd be just perfect for the stage ya know?" Charlotte said, jogging to catch up to him.  
He smiled. "You think? I was the vice president of my school once, so I'm no stranger to the idea."  
"Really?" Charlotte replied. "I bet you would make a good guild leader."  
"A guild leader?" Lera asked.  
"Right, new to games. A group of players can form into an organization in order to help each other, provide support and go on explorations together and stuff."  
"I see." Creating a guild may allow him to push through the game far easier. It wasn't a bad idea.  
"You should create a guild Lera, it'd be fun." Charlotte suggested.  
"I'll consider it." He answered.  
After a moment of silence, Lera came to a sudden stop. "We're here."  
A massive gate stood before them, torches set on either side illuminated the end of the dungeon. Inwardly, Lera felt relieved to find it. And everyone around him buzzed with excitement.  
"Wow, you really found it." Charlotte commented.  
"Nice job Lera." Diavel said from his side.  
Lera turned to the rest of the players, and stretched out his arms. "Now then, let us seize our own future! Now we shall fight!"  
He drew his simple rapier, a thin sword earned through his merits of questing literally 24/7. "Onward to victory!"  
He pressed his hand against the door, shoving it open. He stepped into the room, which lit up in an ethereal glow.  
Illfang, the Kobold Lord; stood in the center of the room. With a loud bellow, he leapt in front of the group, coming to a crash. He drew his axe and shield, flanked by three sentinels wielding maces.  
"Groups P and Q, handle the sentinels. R and S flank from the sides! The rest of you, attack straight on!" He rushed forward, leading the charge. Following his oldest value, he took the first strike against the cobalt beast. Illfang took it with his shield, Charlotte then struck from the side, knocking him off balance. He took a blind swing toward them, forcing them back.  
He watched as his flanking teams closed in, backing off to let them confuse him. He glanced at Illfang's health, noticing he had multiple bars of health. He recalled the tutorial book's information on him. Noting he would ultimately switch attack styles later on. But as his forward most teams whittled through Illfang's second health bar now, keeping this up would ensure victory.  
More sentinels spawning prompted him to divert his backup teams to stopping them; and called everyone to group back together. His teams were getting too far apart, and separated, they made good targets for Illfang's sweeping axe strikes.  
Lera lunged forward, stabbing into the boss's exposed back. Combined with the slashes of his fellow players, the beast reared back, roaring at the group.  
He threw down his axe and shield, snarling at them.  
"Get ready everyone!" He yelled. This was the moment that mattered the most, when they would succeed or die trying. But one of the options was successful. "Now cha-" he froze. Illfang drew his weapon, but it wasn't the one he expected.  
The information was wrong.  
Diavel rushed forward, charging alone head long toward the boss.  
"Diavel no! That's not-" he grit his teeth, this wasn't good. Illfang lept upward, landing on one of the pillars in the room. Jumping back and forth between them. Diavel stood between the pillars, trying to keep track of the blurry beast bouncing around above him.  
Out of instinct, Lera rushed forward in front of Diavel, taking a swipe across the chest from Illfang's Nodachi, the weapon that was supposed to be a talwar.  
He gasped, coughing as he collapsed.  
"Lera!" Charlotte screamed.  
She, along with everyone else, rushed to surround him, creating a protective barrier around him.  
"Lera, I-I'm so sorry I..." Diavel tried to apologize.  
"Someone get me a potion!" Charlotte shouted, holding Lera in her arms. His vision fading, Lera's eyes slowly began to close.  
Had he failed so soon?  
The sounds around him blurred into a dull hum as he experienced death for the second time now. And out of the darkened abyss surrounding him, numbers began to swim across his vision. And a burning symbol of Geass emblazoned the flooding code. The bird sigil grew bigger, becoming a blinding light until-

He stood in a field, atop a rock overlooking a familiar valley. The dark skies covered by the second floor of Aincrad.  
"What?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-


	5. In Loving Memory

**Break the Code**

 **Chapter 5: In Loving Memory**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Charlotte sat on the steps leading out of the room, her downcast eyes staring firmly at the floor ahead of her. She tugged at the collar of her coat, the prize for her efforts. She really didn't deserve it; it had been that black haired kid who did most of the work. And even more Lera who lead them here, and kept things under control.

But he couldn't claim that victory now.

Diavel made his way from the crowd of chattering players to sit beside her, watching the group tend to injuries. "I'm sorry. It's my fault, if I didn't run out there, then Lera would have..." He told her, not looking directly at her.

"No." She responded. "The information was bad. There was nothing you could have done."

"But-" Diavel tried to protest.

"I said I don't blame you. Lera sacrificed himself to save you. That was his choice."

Diavel sighed, knowing he couldn't get any further.

They sat there a while longer, both of them looking forward. Diavel eventually began to speak again. "I'm going to start a guild. One that will focus on beating this game. We'll be the ones to organize raids, and clear the dungeons first." Diavel turned to Charlotte, and she returned the glance. "I want you to join me. You were the one to beat the boss; I need your help. We can do this for Lera, to make sure that he didn't die for nothing."

She looked down, as if to think it over, but she didn't need to. "Guilds were never my thing." She responded. "It's Lera you would want, not me."

Diavel frowned. "You're obviously a good player. And just having the achievement of beating the first boss will attract players to our cause all on its own."

Charlotte shook her head. "I'm not fit for that kind of role Diavel. I'll help fight the bosses, and beat this game." She stood up, attracting the attention of some of the players closest to them. "But...I'll do it by myself."

Diavel stood too. "Playing this game alone will be next to impossible. Your odds in a group are way higher." He tried to argue.

"I know." She replied. "I don't really care."

She took a few steps toward the door.

"And would you really want to follow some noble Britannian bitch? You were just as racist as we were."

Diavel blinked; the words stung. But not just him, everyone who heard her was surprised by her comment. But it was meant to. It at least offered an excuse to let her go. She made her way through the door, almost every set of eyes in the room on her as she passed through it.

In reality she didn't want anyone to really get to know her. Lera had accepted her for who she was, but she wasn't exactly ready to find what their opinions of her would be. Maybe it was because he was a Britannian too, that he was able to understand why she did what she did. What she sometimes still wanted to do.

But that link was gone. And with him, any association she might have with the other players who would try to beat the game. And she was fine with that.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lera ran through the events he last remembered, trying to figure out what had just happened.

Without a doubt, he had died in that boss room. And the next thing he knew, he was back here again. He checked the time, noting it was seconds after the relative time he must have died. Which meant, that in simple terms, he had respawned.

He looked outward, toward the looming pillar a few miles away. His allies were likely still fighting the boss. He had no doubt they would win without him. It wasn't a war that was lost without its leader, no where near that dangerous thankfully. But he wasn't going to be much help all the way out here. He wasn't even so sure why he ha spawned out here in the first place. It occurred to him that it was possible there were no respawn points in the game anymore. And his being alive was clearly thanks to the collective unconscious. Confirmed by the blazing Geass sigil he recalled seeing moments before his death. Maybe there was some correlation, or perhaps God just tossed him wherever he felt like. He could figure that out later. For now...

He broke out into a run, grinning like a maniacal idiot. For the first time in his life, he could afford to be reckless. His own life was not something he had to put into consideration. There would no longer be a need to play it safe, and he could purposely put himself into impossible situations without any need for his own safety. The very thought sent chills through his body. He wasn't really sure why he chose to sacrifice himself for Diavel, that was something he never really thought himself capable of doing. But he certainly wasn't regretting the choice now. He began to think of how he would explain this to the others. His appearance was one thing, but this was somethings else entirely. They were definitely in for a surprise.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Diavel stood at the front of a table in the middle of the inn closest to the dungeon. The group gathered before him were every one of the players who had agreed to join him in the guild they would eventually create. Thirty in all. As of now, they were only a guild in name. The actual creation of a guild was not possible until the first guild office that would appear on floor five. Until they reached that point-hopefully soon-they were just a group of players working toward one common goal.

"So, as you all might have heard, we have already found the next boss room on this floor." Diavel started, watching the group give a small cheer. "Compared to the first floor, this is definitely a step up, but in case you weren't in the beta, it isn't too bad actually."

In the SAO beta, it took them a couple of months to get as high as floor eight. Whatever reason it was that severely set them back on floor one, clearly wouldn't be an issue anymore. Hopefully, at least. "Now it is a bit fast, especially compared to the first floor, but I'm still confident that we will be able to take the second boss down without much issue. We did so much grinding on floor one, I think we'll be just fine."

"But what about the information we have in this boss?" Someone asked. "The data we had on Illfang was different than how he actually was. Because of that..." He trailed off, the insinuated remark left in the air.

Diavel sighed. He still felt that it was his fault, and Lera paid the price for his mistake. Though he could easily say it was Kayaba at the heart of the problem and he wouldn't be wrong, but that did nothing to alleviate the guilt. "For the most part, the information the beta testers compiled into that book has been completely accurate. Which leads me to believe that Kayaba wanted us to fall onto our prior knowledge of the beta, only to use it against us. Will it be accurate? I don't know. Because now we are forced to either trust it or don't."

In the back of the room, a young black haired boy sat with a frown on his face. He had remembered clearly what it was like the first time Illfang was fought, and then the second time. The changes made in his fighting style were very clearly meant to counter the way the group was tackling Illfang. Almost as if he was a second version, surpassing the first. Hesitantly, he raised his hand, sorting out the thoughts into a clear explanation. "Well, I don't know if anyone noticed this..." He began, and all eyes turned to listen to him. "But the differences between the new Illfang, and the one from the beta...it was almost as if he was specifically buffed right where he needed to be. As in he was an improvement upon the first. I think that Kayaba used the beta to gather information on us, more than we did the game."

Diavel nodded, recalling what experiences he had with the first boss. "What do you guys think then? Should we trust what information we have?" He asked.

"I don't think we should rule out the idea that Kayaba left the next boss alone just to make us think it would be different." Someone suggested.

"Either way, the guide will only last us up till where the beta testers got. In the long run, it won't mean a thing." The same guy from the back of the room stated.

"So we should start to focus on our own abilities rather than using the guide as a crutch?" Diavel asked everyone. "I'll be the one to say that utilizing the information we have can substantially reduce the time it takes to clear the floors we have info on. And right now, especially after floor one, we need something to boost our moral."

The players all nodded, each of them trying to decide what to do. Virtually everyone here was a cut voice the others in terms of ability, or in the least, determination. As a whole, they would be able to make the best decision.

"If the guide is right on this boss, and we studied it well enough, the fight will be an easy one." Agil, of the more intelligent players added. "And if it's wrong, we can spot that pretty quickly too. So either way, we should study up on the boss. If it's different, just throw everything we know out as false."

Everyone liked that idea, and the group made a collective sign of approval. Diavel thought it to be the best way forward as well. This way, they ran the smallest risk of being caught off guard. And there wouldn't be any fatal mistakes like last time. "Does that sound good to everyone?" Diavel asked. And since nobody objected, he took that as a yes. "Study up on the next boss then. If anyone sees even the smallest sign that it could be different, say so immediately."

Diavel slammed his hands down on the table, looking at everyone together. "We'll leave tomorrow. Everyone be prepared on for it. We'll clear this floor in record time." He wasn't nearly as gifted in leadership as Lera was, but he was damn well going to try.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lera was not in the best mood.

The last several days had been spent scouring the second floor in search of Diavel and the rest of the raid team. Through some stroke of misfortune, he had learned that he had no way of contacting Diavel. Either the blue haired knight had forgotten to accept Lera's friend request, or his contact list had been deleted, given Charlotte was no longer there either. Though he seriously doubted the latter, mostly because he actually saw Charlotte's name disappear from the list. Like she had deleted the contact. Since he had no other friends, he was left to look for them the old fashioned way. And that was proving to be a frustrating task. He had been through several different towns, meeting players who had made their way up to floor two following the group that beat Illfang; who Lera had seen Charlotte had beaten.

Lera did however make good use of the last few days. Not only had he experimented with the specifications of his respawning, learning there was only one place he would spawn on each floor; but he spent roughly seventy hours doing nothing but monotonous grinding. It made him wonder how anyone ever found that kind of thing entertaining. A VR game was one thing, but doing this in a turn based game would be mind numbing. He certainly knew his choice to avoid playing games was not a bad one, at least. But now, he had no choice but to progress through the game. But it would certainly be worth the effort. He had come to the grim realization that Diavel would be walking into a trap. Perhaps he was giving Kayaba too much credit, to think he would go for option three in this scenario. But to have pulled everything off this far, it left little doubt. That the group was going to find the boss awaiting this floor a lot different they thought.

And as a way to possibly recruit others, Diavel had posters all over the towns stating the second boss room had been located, and when they were planning to fight it.

He sighed, sitting down in the town plaza. This was the closest are to the dungeon, so it was obvious this was where Diavel was. But the town was so damn big he had given up on just finding them now. He would have to intercept them at the boss room. Hopefully things wouldn't be too bad by then.

Besides, he was always a sucker for dramatic entrances.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

With a wide swing of her sword, the three wolves burst into a shower of polygonal shards of glass. And after that, nothing stood between Charlotte and the small tower atop a secluded mountain.

This was one of the few things she did on the beta that didn't involve more shady conduct. It was on this mini dungeon that she and her 'friends', found a collection of weapons that lasted clear up to the seventh floor. She had actually wanted to take Lera up here, but that obviously wasn't going to happen. She really didn't blame Diavel for his death, but that doesn't mean she wasn't angry about it. Lera was something special, that she knew for sure. He had caught on to the inner workings of the game so fast it made her head spin. And he had been the one to not only find the first boss, but unite everyone to go and face it. The jealous part in her wished that Lera never stepped in to save Diavel, but she knew that was a foolish thing to think.

She tried to push him out of her mind, so she deleted his avatar from her friends list shortly after the battle. And now her contacts were completely empty. She would try her best to move on, she knew that people were bound to die, but she refused to give in to that fate. But even more so, she wouldn't allow him to die in vain. He had given her hope, and a reason to make it out of here alive.

And maybe, she would find out who he was in the real world, and tell his family it had been his efforts that spurned them on to beat Sword Art Online.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Diavel stood before the wide door that stood between them, and the boss waiting inside. He had done his best to memorize everything there was about the two headed Orc called Ruric Thar the Unbowed. From his physical appearance all the way down to the smallest choreographed move patterns. If even the slightest thing was off, he would warn the others. There was nothing the guy could throw at them this time. There would be no more deaths, of that he would make certain. He turned to face the group behind him, slightly larger than it had been during their fight with Illfang. That made him glad. "Everyone ready?"

Thy have a silent compliance, their determination enough to tell him they couldn't be more ready to take him on. And so Diavel pressed his hands against the door, and pushed it open.

Behind the door, they found a long bridge leading to the stone platform surrounded by chasms on all sides. The group cautiously made their way to center, taking note of the obvious absence of a certain boss. Low mutters began to pass through the group. Everyone was even more on edge, especially since nobody remembered the boss room looking like this. Out of the corner of his eye, Diavel saw something move. He tried to make out whatever it was in the distance, weaving between the jagged stones jutting out of the darkness; but in definitely didn't look like an Orc. He opened his mouth to warn everyone when someone else beat him to it.

"Look out!"

He heard the cry moments before something crashed into them, scattering the group all across the platform. Diavel got a good look at the massive serpentine body coiling around them. And when he found its head, it's beady red eyes staring straight at him, he saw the name.

Dalamadur, the Serpent King.

"Well, that answers that question." Diavel muttered. He tried to stay away from the snake's twisting body, which was rather difficult considering it encompassed half the entire platform. The other's were all attempting to group together, all of them understandably hesitant to move against the intimidating monster. However, before they could react, in lunged toward them at blinding speed. Diavel saw the snake's head rushing toward him, it's mouth agape to reveal many very sharp, very deadly fangs. He dove out of the way, narrowly avoiding what would have been a very nasty way to go. And as Dalamadur's seemingly endless body slithered past him, he took a swing at it, watching the steel bounce harmlessly off it's scales. He grit his teeth, realizing that even hitting was going to be a challenge.

But before he could think of anything else, an arm-like appendage slammed into his back, sending him flying into the stoney ground. His sword slid somewhere far away as groaned from the pain. Dazed, Diavel looked up to see the Dalamadur's raised body positioned directly at him. It's fangs bared and ready to go for the kill. Paralyzed with fear, he could only stand and watch Dalamadur come down on him rapidly closing the gap.

But a split second before certain death, a figure crashed into the side of its head. Dalamadur reeled back, screeching in pain as the figure came to a stop between him and the angry snake. Diavel's eyes were now wide with shock as he looked upon the one who saved him. The snowy haired ghost glanced back at him, smirking.

"Starting without me Diavel?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

 **A cookie for whoever knows what Ruric Thar and Dalamadur are from.**


End file.
